On Monday, Evgeny Kuznetsov did a Russian language interview with Sport FM radio host Vladimir Dekhtyarev. Kuznetsov gabbed about his season to date and explained what it has been like playing under Barry Trotz.

“His plan was easy to understand,” Kuznetsov said, as translated by Fedor Fedin. “It was hard though to do all the little things that he demands, everything, even what side to place the stick on. Nothing escapes his attention. He watches very carefully and it was tough to change early on.”

The interview even features a cameo by Dmitry Orlov who started talking while in the car. Check it out.

Vladimir Dekhtyarev: What do you think about the city? How do you get to games and ptactices? Veterans often help driving rookies, how is it for you?Evgeny Kuznetsov: I like everything about the city. I remembered all the streets quickly so I drive myself. I have no problems with it. What you said about the rookies, yeah, such practice exists but it’s not like I’m a little kid — I’m 22 so I bought the car right away and drive to the practices myself.

VD: Barry Trotz talks a lot about your improvements since you arrived and that he sees you as a second-line center. Was it difficult to understand coach’s plan?EK: His plan was easy to understand. It was hard though to do all the little things that he demands, everything, even what side to place the stick on. Nothing escapes his attention. He watches very carefully and it was tough to change early on.

VD: Everybody says that Trotz is a dictator. Do you notice this?EK: I’d say that there’s order and discipline. That’s what the game is built on. Our coach is a man of strong character, but I wouldn’t say that he does anything wrong. I like that order and his approach.

VD: Everybody is used to Trotz being all about discipline and defensive play. Do you have more of an attacking task now or are you in a more defensive role?EK: For a year I’ve been taught to play defense, but we’re not prohibited from joining the attack. We play attacking hockey. I wouldn’t say that our game is mostly defensive.

VD: How is Dmitry Orlov doing? Do you keep up?EK: He’s right next to me in a car. You can ask him.

VD: How is his health?Dmitry Orlov: I’m fine. I’m nearing the return, feel good and will begin playing soon.EK: That’s about the question of who is driving young players and rookies. I’m driving him. He’s young and inexperienced.

VD: Evgeny, you speak decent English already. How is the language, do you study with a teacher?EK: I’m still trying to find a teacher, it’s been a year already. I don’t have any problems, but in the summer I plan to take grammar lessons. Everyday language doesn’t cause any issues but I still need to learn a little. I manage to not make any gaffes in the interviews though.

VD: So you have no problems with media?EK: They’re understanding and ask questions slowly and audibly. Most media are our beat writers — they attend every practice and follow us on the road.

VD: We follow you in the scocial networks and notice that you communicate with basketball, baseball, football stars. What sports do you like?EK: Basketball. I’ve been to the baseball games a few times, but found it boring. Football is fun, especially the Super Bowl. Important games are exciting. But basketball is still more interesting.

VD: Have you talked with the national team representatives about your possible participation in the World Champs if Washington doesn’t go far in the playoffs?EK: Yes. It’s no secret that [ex-NHLers Alexey] Zhamnov and [Alexander] Khavanov came over and talked to us. We all of course expressed willingness to come, we are always ready to play for the national team and there’s no problem for us to pack up and come for the camp. However, we’re concentrated on our team’s playoff run. We have good chances and this is our first order of business. But we don’t forget about the national team.

On Thursday, Washington Capitals forwards Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Orlov all played in a hockey game for the first time since the Caps’ dreadful season ended two weeks ago.

The three Russian Caps suited up for Russia’s national team in what was basically a glorified exhibition against Germany to warm up for the World Championships. Team Russia won 4-2 and scored three of their four goals in 1:38. None of the Caps players scored or tallied a point.

One interesting fact we can take from the game is that Ovechkin was captain of Team Russia. It’s the first time he’s led the national team since 2005, when he was the 19-year-old captain of Russia during the World Junior Championships. Though his captain patch totally looks velcroed on.

Ovechkin played on the first line with Alex Burmistrov and Viktor Tikhonov; Kuznetsov played with KHL players Sergei Shirokov and Ilya Zubov; and Dmitry Orlov was a part of the team’s top defensive pairing with Anton Belov – who recently left the NHL to sign with SKA St. Petersburg.

On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin and the Russian National Team defeated Finland 3-1 to take the 2012 Channel One Cup. During the three-game tournament, Russia dominated, outscoring their opponents 14-2. Ovechkin, who mostly played on the team’s third line, had two points in three games — a goal and an assist. Team Sweden, who saw Nicklas Backstrom score three points and Marcus Johanssonrecord his first national team goal and points, was the runner-up.

Below the jump, we have a few more photos from Russia’s post-game celebration.

During the early afternoon in Moscow, the Russian National Team played their second game of the Channel One Cup, taking on the Czech Republic. And boy was it a beatdown.

Pavel Datsyuk had a hat trick and Alex Ovechkinfollowed up his goal Thursday with a sick assist on Sergei Mozyakin’s power play tally. Russia would cruise to victory, 6-0.

Now let’s see this helper!

Ovechkin’s assist begins at the 2:18 mark.

As the Capitals captain winds up to shoot, he instead quickly dishes to Mozyakin on the doorstep. Mozyakin then takes his time and rifles the puck past Winnipeg Jets goaltender, Ondřej Pavelec, top-shelf. Alex Radulov and Evgeny Malkin would also add goals in the win.

Russia will play their third and final game of the round-robin tournament tomorrow against Finland and it sure looks like they’re going to win the Channel One Cup. After humbling Sweden and the Czech Republic by a combined score of 11-1, they merely need to win against Finland to be champions.

Evgeny Kuznetsov: Oh yeah? I wasn’t counting myself, just found out from you. But it’s too early to celebrate. We should see a totally different Finland at the Worlds.

Pavel Lysenkov: Nevertheless, you did score a supergoal.

Evgeny Kuznetsov: Oh come on. Just drop it.

Pavel Lysenkov: Does everybody who plays for Chebarkul Stars score goals like this? [Ed note: Chebarkul is a small factory town not far from Chelyabinsk; “Chebarkul Stars” was Kuzya’s sarcastic answer when he recently had enough of “Where are you going to play next year” questions.]

In the first game of the Oddset Hockey Games tournament, the Russian National Team took on Finland outside at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium. Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was sporting a maroon hoodie to cope with the 1-degree temperature at puck drop (minus-5 wind chill), centered Russia’s first line. Kuznetsov proved to be Russia’s best player notching a goal and an assist in Russia’s 2-0 win.

In the first period, Kuznetsov brought the puck into the offensive zone. After battling several players along the boards, he managed to shovel the puck to Nikolai Zherdev who then attempted a wraparound. Finnish goalie Ari Ahonen was able to make the initial save, but Stanislav Chistov was first to the rebound and batted it home. 1-0 Russia.

In the third, the 19-year-old Kuznetsov maneuvered around four defending Finnish players and sprung himself on a semi-breakaway. After dekeing, a lunging Kuznetsov slid the puck past Ahonen.

After the game, Kuznetsov explained his decision-making on that play to Soviet-Sport’s Pavel Lysenkov. “I just didn’t know who to pass to, so I had to beat them all.” Fair enough.

On Saturday, Russia will play their second game of the tournament in Stockholm against the Swedes. Puck drop is at 9:30am. Photos and video are below.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, the Russian National Team’s youngest player at 19, once again proved his mettle and how lucky-a**ed (Kuzya called himself that during last year’s WJC) he can be in clutch situations. With ten seconds left and Russia stuck in a 1-1 tie with the Czech Republic, Kuznetsov — currently leading the KHL in game-winners this season — potted his only goal of the tournament. Not only did the tally give Russia the win in their final tournament game, it also clinched them the 2011 Karjala Cup.

Video of his goal can be seen below the jump.

The footage above also includes the ceremony where Russia is awarded the Karjala Cup.

Despite only registering one point in the four tournament games, Kuznetsov also scored during a shootout attempt in Russia’s first game against Finland.

Evgeny Kuznetsov: I have a most enthusiastic impression of the tournament. I was able to score at the end, we won the tournament, and I liked working with the coaching staff. If they’ll call me up to the next EuroHockeyTour stage in Moscow, I’ll come happily. But I don’t know if I’ll get the invitation. The National team starts preparation for the Channel One Cup at the same time as our junior team starts preparation for the World Championships.

Evgeny Kuznetsov: Yes, but I don’t want to disclose all his secrets. I will only say that all the wise coaches, like Zinetula Khaydarovich [Bilyaletdinov], like Valery Konstantinovich Belousov, keep saying how important it is to play well on defense. And that’s what we saw in Helsinki. I think we won the Karjala Cup first of all because we allowed such few goals.

Andrey Kuznetsov: In Finland, you had to play on the fourth line. Was this a problem?

Evgeny Kuznetsov: No, because everybody had almost the same amount of ice time.

Andrey Kuznetsov: But with Tarasenko on your line that was created during the game against the Czechs, you clearly felt more comfortable.

Evgeny Kuznetsov: We’re not at the age when we can tell the coach what would be the best combinations on the ice [smiling]. That’s under the coaching staff’s jurisdiction.

Andrey Kuznetsov: What did the head coach say in the locker room after your third win of the Karjala Cup?

Evgeny Kuznetsov: He thanked us all and said that we made him very proud. He also asked us to work and train even harder and do notable things when we return home. We applauded him.

Andrey Kuznetsov: Which one of the Czechs surprised you most during the game?

Evgeny Kuznetsov: Petr Nedved. He’s so-many-years-old and still was able to score the key goals. He not only scored against us, he also scored twice against Sweden.

Andrey Kuznetsov: Do you expect to play until 39 like him?

Evgeny Kuznetsov: I’m going to be a hockey player even longer [smiling].

The KHL is currently taking the week off so that the Russian National Team can participate in the upcoming Karjala Cup, an annual tournament held in Finland where the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and Russia all face off against one another. 19-year-old Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov was invited to play on the National Team and joined his teammates in Novogorsk, Moscow Region to prepare for their first game Thursday.

Despite the fact that the team is filled with stars such as Alexander Radulov and Vladmir Tarasenko, Kuznetsov — who was working out at the time — was mobbed by journalists during his media availability. In interviews to both Sovetsky Sport and Sport-Express, the gifted and versatile forward discussed his NHL plans, gossiped about the latest KHL news, and mused on what it will be like to play center again during the four day tourney.

Below the jump, check out my translation of the interview.

Question: Did you see what happened in Minsk with former Traktor coach Andrei Nazarov on Sunday?

Answer: Not yet, but I heard about it. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I think this story is overblown.

Q: You don’t see a coach going at the stands with a stick much…

A: The fans should blame themselves. They need to be respectful and not throw bottles at players on the ice. It was not pretty. And I understand Andrey Viktorovich. He’s an emotional person. You don’t need to blame it all on the coach because we are people. Everybody loses their temper sometimes.

Q: What do you think about the policy of the coaching staff directed to make the national team younger?

A: I’m all for it, because I’m the youngest [laughing]. Of course, I want to see more young players on the team.

Q: Did you hear that they wanted to try you at the center position [during the tournament]?

A: For me it’s more interesting and even more comfortable to play at center.

Q: But you’ll have to play more defense!

A: And that’s what I like!

Q: You’re the youngest player on the team. You’ll most likely have to pick up pucks after the training session…

A: That’s not a problem. The veterans here don’t push the youngsters around. We’re not living in the 80’s.

Q: Do you follow the Capitals, the team who drafted you?

A: I have a routine I follow so I can’t stay up late. But I do look up the score and see who scored goals.

Q: When are you going to leave Russia for the NHL?

A: I’ve made a decision. I know where and how I will spend the next few years of my hockey career. But I won’t talk about my plan. It would be uninteresting if I did so.

Q: Have you spoken with Dmitry Orlov who plays with the Capitals’ affiliate in Hershey?

A: Yes, we’ve talked over Skype a few times. He says that “things are okay over here”. It’s much more difficult to make it to the NHL for defensemen. There are a lot of players on one-way deals.

Q: Team Russia plays the Finns on Thursday. Mikael Granlund, who scored an interesting goal against the Russian National Team during last year’s World Championships, plays there.

A: I could make a joke about that, but I’m not of an age where you can say whatever you want to the media anymore. I will only say that I have a bet with [Traktor forward Petteri] Kontiola – the one who loses pays for dinner.

We need to beat Finns and Swedes right away. They need to know who the Russians are. We need to beat them with any players on their roster. Because if we lose once or twice, we’ll have a complex. That’s psychology!

Q: Everyone was surprised by Traktor’s great start…

A: I was surprised as well [laughing]. The key is that we are good on defense. It has helped the result so far.

Q: What are your thoughts on the World Junior Championship in Calgary?

A: I need to make the team first.

Q: WJC Head Coach Valery Bragin said you’re the only one who has a guaranteed spot on the team.

A: What if I play bad? Nobody has a guaranteed spot.

Q: Many people say that Russia hasn’t had such a strong roster as this in quite a long time.

A: Players who play in the Canadian junior leagues need to show something in the KHL first. Everybody talks about them as the top players for the next draft. I don’t want to offend the guys but I don’t think the level of hockey there is higher than in the MHL. I was offered a chance to go to the CHL myself. Many thanks to my Russian agent Valery Guschin who talked me out of taking that step. I’m just happy I didn’t go there. What would I do there? Clean windows in McDonald’s? I can do it here as well [laughing].

Russia will face Finland on Thursday, Sweden on Saturday and the Czech Republic on Sunday.

A full week after his first appearance on Russian radio this summer, Alex Ovechkin made his second appearance on the radio station Mayak, Saturday. Ovi spoke with Regina Sevostyanova and their conversation covered a variety of topics including Russia’s failure at the Vancouver Olympics, how the Russian National Team should respond in Sochi, and the dreaded smoking scandal.

Below the fold, we translated the Sports.ru article which did a transcription of the interview.

Alex Ovechkin: “I don’t think our World Championship team was better than the one in the Olympics. But even if one version of the team was better than another, it doesn’t mean the first will win. Coincidence, they scored, we didn’t. Everyone wants to win. No, the result of the Olympics and World Championships aren’t haunting my dreams. I try to forget such moments.”

“I reacted positively to the contract extensions of [Russian coaches] Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Zakharkin. If we’re looking towards Sochi, we need to do some preparation and we need to think about what we should do and how. What we need to take from the [gold medal-winning] Canadians is this: After the Torino Olympics ended, they began scouting the players they would face in Vancouver. And it worked. We must look to the best. The match with the Canadians, of course, is the most fundamental. It’s like dessert after a good dinner.” [Ed Note: Russian sayings are the best..]

“The National Team has a backbone, which is created by the coaches. Those guys are the leaders, the players team always need. Sometimes coaches choose players who are less talented, but can create a hard-working atmosphere. We need them, too. Every player on the team, including the coaches, completely trust and understand each other.”

“In regards to the story about smoking during the World Championships, I can say that everybody has their own life and does what they feel they should do. In America, for example, you can drink and smoke — you just have to provide the result. We didn’t get the job done in Germany, we were only second. But if you saw how hard we fought, you can’t say we lost due to that story. It’s ravings. People who publish this kind of stuff, don’t care for the Russian Team. They are traitors in my opinion.”

TJ of Alex Ovetjkin also found some more interesting Ovechkin quotes from the same show. In his translation Ovi talks about if he has a Facebook, which famous people he’d like to meet, and if he would ever run for public office. Check it out.

]]>http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2010/08/29/alex-ovechkin-comments-on-bykov-sochi-olympics-smoking/feed/3Some Leftover Photos From The World Championshipshttp://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2010/05/31/some-leftover-photos-from-the-world-championships/
http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2010/05/31/some-leftover-photos-from-the-world-championships/#commentsMon, 31 May 2010 19:59:01 +0000http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/?p=4632

Thanks to our friend Dmitry, we have some leftover photos from the World Championships of Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Semyon Varlamov via the tricky Russian Internets. Most of these pictures are from a happier time: either practice or at an instance when wearing ripped jeans was absolutely necessary. Take a look and let us know what you think in the comments below.